


Dancing in the Dark

by imgilmoregirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Ballerina!Belle, Ballet, F/M, Patron!Gold, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2018, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 11:29:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15387807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imgilmoregirl/pseuds/imgilmoregirl
Summary: Isabelle French has been on trial for professional dancing ever since she was a child, but between her mother’s funeral and her struggles with her drunk father, she doesn’t have much money to fund herself or leave the town to become who she had always dreamed to. Everything changes with the arrival of the famous Rumford Gold and the audition that can change her life forever.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheStraggletag](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStraggletag/gifts).



> Merry Rumbelle Christmas In July, TheStraggletag! I’m your Santa! I’m really happy I got to write this fic for you and I really hope you enjoy it. It was amazing to get to know you a bit through the anon love messages. I must thank Grace52373 for being so wonderful and beta-ing this whole fic for me.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Once Upon A Time or any of the characters and storylines in the show. This is just a fanwork made for fun.
> 
> Prompt: Ballerina!Belle, Patron!Gold.

There hadn’t been a day in Isabelle French’s life in which she hadn’t dreamed of dancing. She started taking ballet classes at very young age, when she was just a four-year-old girl and never stopped. She loved it, so she put her heart and soul into learning more and more, spent much of her free time practicing or choosing songs to which she wanted to dance. Her mother had been a great encourager of the activity and that was why, after Colette died, Belle felt like her dream of making a career out of dancing had died too.

Her father had a small flower shop in an even smaller town called Storybrooke, in which she had grown up. That place had never seemed to be enough for her because Belle, an avid reader as she was, wanted to know the world, travel and just feel free. The thing about small towns is that you never seem to be able to cut off the restraints, you are always tied to it. She had left for college some years ago, but when Belle received the unfortunate call over her mother’s death she had to come back.

It was just going to be a week, she told herself, but then her father started drinking and a week became a month, then time started passing and she found herself working in the flower shop during the day and teaching ballet classes at night for the local kids. It wasn’t an improvement for her, although she never stopped doing what she liked somehow, but it wasn’t enough and the struggles she had to make every time she got home and her father was tripping on his own feet were too much for her to take.

Very few people knew how Belle felt and from those, you could include Ruby Lucas, her best friend since she was a child. Ruby was everything Belle wanted to be, she did what she wanted and she cared very little for what people thought of her, she used to come and go, visiting other cities and them sleeping in her old childhood room at her grandma’s house for a few months.

It was her, who had dragged Belle to the auditorium of Storybrooke’s Community College that night, wearing one of her old all black outfits: tights, leotard, and skirt, her hair pulled into a tight bun she only wore now to her classes with the kids. She was nervous, more than she would ever admit, because she wasn’t prepared to be here, not physically nor emotionally.

Belle watched in silence as Ruby stretched herself, getting her body ready for her audition. She too, was a dancer, a ballerina, like Belle, but she had the chance of working on her talent, Belle hadn’t. A deep, long sigh left her as she reached for the silver bars, lifting one leg and laying her feet in there as she bent, breathing in and out very slowly, trying to make sure she would be at least able to dance for whoever was there to evaluate them.

"I'm not sure if I should do this, Rubes," Belle confessed, switching the legs on the bar.

"Why not? Do you really want to spend the rest of your life stuck in this place?" Ruby inquired with a frown. "Girl, this is your chance. You'll go to Paris, you'll dance and you'll be free of the burdens you have here. Unless, of course they pick me."

"Well, good luck to you,” she answered, slightly bitter. “I'm sure you'll do way better than me, I haven't been training lately."

She changed her position, going on her toes to test her balance and noticed, with the corners of her eyes that Ruby was about to say something, her mouth open and her dark irises fixed on Belle, however she didn’t have the time for it as the room’s door was opened, catching the attention of all the young women – a group of about twenty people – in there.

"Ruby Lucas," a tall man called in his deep, husky voice.

Her friend nodded, taking a deep breath before waving a hand to show the man that she was there and he gestured for her to follow him and she did so, only casting one last glare at Belle before reaching for the door.

"I'll see you later."

The only answer she gave her was a brief nod. She turned around to face the mirrored wall again then, taking a look at herself as she started to work out stretching her arms, arching them above her head. The soft, but efficient make-up she wore covered the dark circles under her eyes so nobody would notice how bad she was feeling, but that changed nothing for herself.

"Breath in, breath out," she whispered in an encouragement, just like she knew her mother would do if she was alive. "You can do this, Belle."

It was her chance, she knew it. Her chance of going away from Storybrooke and making a life for herself, but Belle wasn’t sure if she could make it, which only made her feel sadder. Her mother had dreamed of seeing her reaching her goals, going to a fancy dancing academy, being a part of a company and starring on all kinds of stages and when she had the chance of doing it, she wasn’t ready.

"Isabelle French," the tall man called from the doorstep.

Worrying at her lip, she followed him through the hallway, finding herself in the large amphitheatre she had been to on only a few occasions. There was a radio set in a corner and only one person was sitting there to watch the audition, a man that appeared to be in his late forties. He was really handsome and serious, wore a three-piece-suit and had a pen and a notebook in his hands, dark-brown eyes fixed in her.

"Good evening, Ms. French. I'm Rumford Gold," he presented himself. "You can put on the song of your choice and begin when you're ready."

Her mouth fell open and she felt unable to speak for a second. Rumford Gold. She knew him, everybody in the dancing business knew him. His mother had been one of the most famous ballerinas Scotland had known, but she died of cancer at young age, when her son was just a wee boy. He wasn’t a dancer himself, but he had created the Fiona Gold Company, one of the most respected in the world.

How hadn’t she heard about that? If she knew that it was him who was conducting the auditions, she wouldn’t have come, but maybe that was why Ruby had omitted that information from her. Belle noticed that she was staring at him like an idiot and finally nodded, making her way to the radio and plugging her USB drive on it.

She pulled on the song, turned up the volume and positioned herself to begin. Belle knew that choreography by heart, it was the last one she had performed for her mother before she died so it wasn’t difficult at all to remember the right movements. Her body was a bit rigid because of the lack of training, however Belle managed to dance with enough grace to capture Rumford Gold’s attention.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she twirled on the tip of her toes, jumping and rolling until the music was over and she could barely catch her breath, staring at him in an attempt to get any clue on what he thought of her dance, but his face was blank.

"That was a great performance, thank you," Rumford said in quite a cold, emotionless voice. "I'll let you know if I'm interested in having an interview next morning, if you don't get an e-mail that means you haven't been considered."

"Understood," she said, taking her USB drive back and nodding at him. "Thank you for having me, Mr. Gold."

* * *

 

She had not much sleep that night. When Belle arrived home after the audition, her father was watching an English football match and yelling at the TV screen as he drowned himself in alcohol. It was a normal scenario in the last few years and although for a really long time she had hoped to save him from his addiction, Belle came to understand that she couldn’t. Nobody could help somebody who didn’t want to be helped. At twenty-six, she knew it very well.

Moe French, the drunk florist she called father, barely paid attention to her as she entered their home, only yelled something about not wanting to be disturbed. Belle went straight to her childhood bedroom and locked the door, hoping he wouldn’t mistake her for an intruder like once had happened. He scared the hell out of her on that occasion. She let her bag fall on the floor, stripped her clothes and went to the adjacent bathroom to take a quick shower before bed, however, Belle laid there for hours, hearing the insults her father shouted at the football players as she stared at the ceiling.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she felt like she was back in that stage, dancing for Rumford Gold, his eyes accompanying her movements attentively. A lazy smile spread on her lips as she remembered about the way he toyed with his pen while watching her. Belle had no idea how she got enough time to pay attention to this while she concentrated in swirling at the right balance, however she guessed her eyes sought him because she found him to be interesting.

It wasn’t just his story with the Fiona Gold Ballet Company or his late mother’s fame, but also the whole integrity of him. His suited image wouldn’t leave her mind for even a second. It would be a pleasure to be picked to study and dance for him in his company and it would be a bigger delight to get to know him. If only she had been more prepared for that audition, Belle could have had some hope of being called upon for an interview.

Daydreaming, however was enough to keep her awake for most of the night and the next morning she was so tired that getting an e-mail from Rumford was the last thing she could think about. It was just another normal day in Belle’s life and she needed to go to work whether she wanted to or not, as her father had woken up with the worst of his hangovers and could only grumble around, moving as slowly as a slug.

She sat behind the counter of the flower shop for most of the morning, but only when she decided to take a break to eat a sandwich and read a few pages of a romance, trouble reached their door.

"Isabelle," Moe called from the front room. "Isabelle!"

"I'm here, papa," she yelled back, rolling her eyes and pulling her half-eaten sandwich down to the plate as she stood up, murmuring harshly: "I'm always here."

With a sigh she made her way to the front of the shop, finding her very-angry father standing beside the small and grumpy men that used to buy their flowers very frequently for the gift packages he sold in his own store and accompanied chocolates, champagne and some other trinket. He was the kind of customer they couldn’t lose.

"Where are Mr. Clarke's peonies?" Moe asked her. "You should have delivered them two hours ago."

Ignoring him, Belle crossed the room, picking up the box she had separated to go on their van that morning, but which clearly had been forgotten alongside a bunch of roses and daises. She handed it to the grumpy little man with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry for the delay, Mr. Clarke it wasn't supposed to be my delivery turn."

"It's the second time it happened this month," he answered, glaring at Moe.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

Mr. Clarke shook his head at her, turning around on his heels and leaving the shop. Belle gritted her teeth and closed her eyes for a second, trying to stay calm and not lose her mind over a box of flowers, but the only problem was that it wasn’t just a box of flowers. Her father very rarely did his deliveries properly these days and if they lost their customers, they would have to close the shop.

"No more delays, girl," Moe said, behind her, as if it all had been her fault.

She gasped, looking back at him wide eyes and an anger that couldn’t be contained.

"You know what? It is your delivery turn and you're going to do it drunk or not, I won’t take your chores again."

"Don't be so insolent with me, Isabelle!"

"Or what? What are you going to do?"

Moe opened his mouth, then closed it without knowing what to say. He needed her after all and Belle had already threatened leaving him to his own fate multiple times and he couldn’t risk putting it to a test, because he knew he couldn’t keep the shop on his own anymore, so he just watched as she took off the apron she used for working and marched away.

Belle had no destination in mind, she just knew she needed to leave for a while and breathe some fresh air before she said things she would regret. If her mother was still here, none of this would be happening, but maybe the fact that Colette had passed away so suddenly was what had broken her father the most. A heart-attack, the doctors said. A pity, people commented, she still had a lot to live for.

The ringing sound of a notification coming from her smartphone took Belle out of her musings just as she stopped in front of the public library. She fished it from inside her jacket’s pocket and held onto her breath, it was an e-mail.

**_Congratulations, Ms. Isabelle French, you've been selected to interview with Mr. Rumford Gold tonight at the Storybrooke Community College!_ **

She did it. Belle could barely believe her eyes as she read down further into the details that her acceptance would entail and the time of her interview. She would have her dancing studies funded by the company and would train with them every single weekend, going on tours whenever they had presentations or championships.

There were tears in her eyes as she typed Ruby’s number with trembling fingers, she needed a confirmation that this was real and she wasn’t dreaming at all and Belle thought that, if she was called for the interview, then everybody else had.

"Did you get an e-mail?" Belle asked as soon as Ruby picked up the phone.

"No, but Aurora was here at the dinner bragging about how she did," he friend sighed, clearly irritated. "What about you?"

"I have an interview tonight."

Ruby wasn’t the jealous kind, she had always been happy for Belle’s life achievements and this time, it couldn’t be any different. She screamed out loud and congratulated her a thousand and one times before finally hanging up the phone, allowing Belle to go home and choose an outfit for the night, because after all she needed to impress.

She still felt like she was dreaming even as she entered the indicated classroom at the college – the place where her interview would be happening – and saw as Shirin, one of the most talented ballerinas who she studied with left the place. Belle took a deep breath, smoothing her blue dress’ skirt and straightening her white jacket before peeking a look inside and seeing Rumford Gold sitting by a desk, taking a few notes in what seemed to be a personal record.

"Hello, Ms. French, it's very nice to see you again," he said, without lifting his eyes from his current task. "Please, take a seat."

Belle nodded, walking towards him and siting in the spare chair in front of him, crossing her legs and placing her purse on her lap.

"Thank you," she started. "I'm really elated to be here."

"I can tell," Rumford answered, looking up at her for the first time and smiling in a fondly way. "So, my friend Dove has done some research on you and you got some excellent credits in High School for dancing events."

Looking at him from the stage and staring right at her eyes as he was doing now were two completely different things. Rumford Gold was way more attractive and engrossing from here. He was wearing a blue shirt and a blue tie and she couldn’t help but to think how its colour shade matched her dress.

"I'm been a ballerina ever since I was four," she told him, grinning like a fool.

"That's why you went to Art School?"

"Yeah, it was my dream to learn more and maybe act at some point," Belle answered looking down as she clasped her hands on her lap and bit down her lip. "I have a passion for scenery too, but well my love for ballet had always been bigger."

Gold tilted his head as if he was trying to analyse her, his fingers tracing the file in his hands.

"Why did you abandon college then?"

Sucking a breath, she had to blink away some tears. It was still hard for Belle to speak about that time because it had been the hardest of her whole life and it left some scars behind. She was still dealing with the consequences of her choice to stay in Storybrooke, but Belle couldn’t imagine herself doing things any differently.

"My mother died and I had to come back home... I didn't plan on staying, but my father needed me."

"And are you ready to leave town now if you get a place in my company?" Rumford questioned. "Because you would have to live in Scotland, you know."

"I think I am," Belle replied.

"You think?"

She knew it wasn’t the right way to ever answer anything on an interview ever but Belle was just being sincere. As much as she wanted to be given this shot and go away to Europe with him, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure if she was going to be able to leave her father behind to his own luck.

"I can't go with uncertainty, Ms. French." Rumford Gold said. "Are you ready or not?"

An ultimatum, she knew it, if she said that she wasn’t sure again, he would send her home without even considering her again. Belle swallowed hard, remembering about that little episode at the flower shop that morning and nodded fiercely.

"Yes, I am," she confirmed. "More than I ever was."

"Great," Gold smiled. “You’ll hear back from me.”

Thanking him she stood up and left the room, making her way through the building’s corridors until a loud beep stopped her. A notification. She opened her purse, picking up her phone and opening the message.

**_We have the honour to announce that you, Isabelle French have been accepted into the Fiona Gold Ballet Company with all costs covered._ **

A smile appeared in her lips. She was in and she was leaving Storybrooke for good.


	2. Part 2

There are some decisive moments in our lives that can change everything, change the course of our destiny and lead us through the most unexpected paths and for Belle French this moment was when she replied to an e-mail with a simple confirmation. She was going to Scotland, she would become a part of the Fiona Gold Ballet Company and live out her dream. It was what she needed to do, what she owed herself after all those years she spent in Storybrooke trying to help her father and failing miserably.

Belle knew that she would never get a chance like this again. She couldn’t go back to college anymore at this point and not because she didn’t want to but because she had no money to pay for it. During the few years between her mother’s death and now, her father had managed to spend everything they had drinking and betting, this including her school fund. Now, however Rumford Gold was going to pay for her education and she would dance for his company in exchange. The best deal she had ever made.

When she arrived home that night, Belle excitedly told her father about the fund and her trip but all he did was grumble something about her being in front of the television while he tried to watch this important mixed martial arts fight. It had made her sad to see his indifference yet again and she went to her bedroom feeling that taking a break from this place – and Moe French too – was exactly what she needed.

The next morning, she woke up really early. Belle had received another e-mail last night, telling her that she should meet up with Mr. Gold and his assistant Mr. Dove at the airport in Boston around 7 pm, because they would catch a flight at nine o’ clock. She wasn’t expecting to be going so soon, but she guessed that it would be better for her adaptation in Scotland if they did it as quickly as possible, however it also meant that she had a lot of stuff to do in a really short time.

The first thing she did was to prepare breakfast. Eggs and bacon, because after all she deserved one last very American breakfast before the trip. She set two plates ready and ate in the kitchen, doing some calls, while her father took his to the living room without even wishing her a good morning. Belle had just finished washing the dishes when Ruby arrived.

They went straight to her bedroom and Belle picked up the two suitcases she had, a big one and a small one. It was good to have Ruby there, giving her a hand, because she already knew where most of Belle’s things were – they had grown-up sharing pieces of clothing and stealing from each other’s wardrobes as if they were sisters – and could find everything really easily. Belle packed most of her coats and dresses, but the greater part of her bag where occupied by her ballet stuff, pointe shoes and skirts of all kinds.

"Is that everything you are going to need?" Ruby asked when Belle sat down on the bed with a sigh, checking for the third time if she had pulled her shampoo into the smaller suitcase.

"I think so, I don't have much to take with me," the brunette answered with a shrug.

"Belle, where is my lun..." her father started, coming from down the hallway, however his voice died when he stopped by her door and saw the two young women staring at the open suitcases. "What are you doing?"

"Packing."

"Packing? Where the hell do you think you are going?"

Rolling her eyes, she stood up walking towards her dresser and opening up a drawer from which she picked a scarf, her favourite one that she almost forgot to take. It was white and had tiny daggers printed on it. Belle didn’t know why, but she thought it was simply lovely.

"Scotland," she replied, packing the scarf beside her favourite shirt. "I've told you yesterday. Maybe you were too drunk to hear."

Moe made a loud scorning sound.

"I didn't allow you to go anywhere."

She turned around on her heels, arching an eyebrow at him. Belle couldn’t really believe he was playing this game now, because Moe hadn’t acted with the least of authority ever since she was sixteen and forgot to call before spending the night at Ruby’s place.

"Father, I'm twenty-six, _I am_ going."

"And who do you think is going to help me at the store?"

"Ashley Boyd," she said, firmly. "I've talked to her this morning, she is pregnant and desperate enough to work for you."

His face became bright red and he took a threatening step into Belle’s direction, but she didn’t even shudder, because she knew that all her father ever knew how to be was an utterly grumpy idiot, nothing else.

"Don't you talk me like this," Moe warned, fists clenched tightly on each side of his body.

Ruby stepped between them, holding her head up defiant and protective as she had always been. Belle was glad they could always count on each other and of all the people she knew, Ruby was going to be the one she would miss terribly, but she was pretty sure they would see each other again.

"Mr. French, let's calm down."

"I'm sorry, papa, but this is my only chance," Belle said from behind Ruby. "You know it was mama's dream to see me become a professional ballerina."

He shook his head, still clearly mad.

"Dancing is for fools."

"You've never thought that before," the brunette lamented. "Mom has been dead for years now, papa. It is time to move on."

She turned around again, closing the lid of both suitcases as she waited for him to go away, but he stayed there, facing her back while Ruby continued to stare at him as if daring Moe to do anything that would prevent Belle from going away, but he clearly had no real plans to do so.

“I’m sorry, but I need to get ready now,” Belle said. “I have a flight to catch.”

He didn’t say anything as he left her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind himself, but he didn’t really need to, she already knew his opinion.

* * *

 

Ruby Lucas drove her all the way to Boston. Belle didn’t have car anymore, she used to, but she sold it to pay rent when she found out they were about to be dumped out of their house after her father spend the money on extra doses of tequila. Nobody else would ever volunteer to do that for her and she was happy that she could spend her last few hours in America singing along old songs with her best friend while they took the road.

When the car stopped in the parking lot, however, Belle realised for the first time that she had really followed with it and that she was doing something for herself, she missed dancing and studying and she could almost feel tears burning her eyes to think that she would finally have it all. She thought about how proud her mother would be and smiled, releasing a joyful sigh.

"Here I go," Belle whispered, both to herself and to Ruby. "Oh my God, I can't believe it."

"Are you happy?"

"I think I’m a bit worried about leaving everything behind," she confessed. "But I'm certainly not unhappy. It's time to go, right?"

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, stretching herself between their seats to hug her tight. "Will you call me?"

"Every week. Will you look after my father?"

"I'll check on him whenever I can."

Nodding they got out of the car picking Belle’s bags up from the backseat and staring at the airport for a second. It was almost seven and she knew that she had to come in and find Gold, otherwise Belle would miss her flight, but a part of her still felt too connected to her past and it hurt to finally let go.

"Thank you," she told her friend, squeezing her cold hands in hers. "I will miss you, Ruby."

"I'll miss you too, beauty."

There were unshed tears in Ruby’s eyes as Belle took her baggage in hand and made her way to the airport. She was glad she had chosen this path at the same time that she feared what it might mean to her. Belle kept wondering what her father would do now that he would have to take care of himself, she considered if he would struggle even harder with his alcoholism or if he would ever remember to open the flower shop, but she hoped for the contrary. She really wished that it would be the time for him to pick up the pieces and begin again too.

It took her some time to find the section where Rumford Gold and Maxwell Dove were waiting for her, but when she finally did a relieved smile spread through her lips and she almost rushed towards them, happy to see some known faces in the middle of the crowd.

"Ms. French,” Gold greeted her, standing up on his feet. “I was starting to think that you wouldn't come."

"I had some problems back home, but I think it is time to leave them behind."

He nodded, a little smile curving the corners of his lips.

"Let's make the check in, then."

The next two hours were a blur on Belle’s mind. She knew that airports were usually exhausting but she didn’t remember ever feeling so drained and awkward at the same time that in the end she would be begging for sleep. Maybe part of it was due to the fact that she didn’t really know how to act now that she was beside such a powerful businessman or what to say, so she just stayed quiet all the time, dragging her luggage around until it was time to despatch it.

Now she found herself sat near the windows in the economy class of the airplane – she heard Gold complaining to Dove about the only vague seats being in there and how much he wanted to fly on the executive class – with him sitting by her side and Dove accommodated in the third seat. She sighed deeply leaning the back of her head against her head rest and drumming her fingers on the arms of the chair.

"You look nervous," Rumford Gold pointed out, folding the caramel scarf he was wearing on his lap.

"I am," Belle admitted. "A part of me thinks that this is madness and wants to rush out of this airplane, but the other is just glad that I'm doing it."

"You don't need to come if you don't want to," he shrugged.

"No, believe me, I do. It's just..." she took a long deep breath and turned around on her seat so she could look straight into his brown eyes. "My mother is the reason I started dancing and now she is dead and all I have is father, but he became a drunk idiot and... Oh my God, I think I'm talking too much."

Belle laughed nervously, dropping her gaze to her hands as she tugged at the hem of her jumper. She felt some blush coming to her cheeks that was only accentuated by Gold’s little chuckle.

"No, it is quite alright. Your life seems to be quite troubled, Ms. French."

"Belle," she corrected. "You can call me Belle."

"Alright, _Belle_ ," he smiled. "But it is only fair if you call me Rumford too."

"Rumford," the brunette tested the name, enjoying how it sounded in her melodic voice. "Very old-fashioned, but I like it."

"You're a strange woman."

"I guess so," she giggled, then her eyebrows narrowed and she looked up to see him staring back at her intensely. Her breath got caught on her throat and she realised that if she spent another second beside that man she would be most likely seduced without him even trying to do it. Bad luck that she still had some long hours of flight left in this seat. "Why did you choose me?"

He seemed to get a bit shy with the question, which she found to be adorable, because his mouth twisted in a cute way as if he was trying to hide a smile or even stop himself from saying something he shouldn’t.

"The other girls were worse dancers."

"Oh, don't lie to me, I’ve known most of them for a great part of my life and I know Storybrooke had quite amazing ballerinas."

Ignoring it, Gold leaned back against his chair, clasping his hands on his lap, right above the scarf, but he kept looking at her with the corners of his eyes.

"So, about your drunk father..." Rumford started. "How exactly you were coping with it?"

"I wasn't. Not really," Belle shrugged. "I tried at first, I did everything I could to help him stop drinking but it just wouldn't work, so I kind of gave up and started doing all his work all by myself. Even when it meant dropping out of college."

Gold blinked, turning his head to her. He looked really impressed and concerned at the same time, but Belle knew that look very well because she had received it from every single person who she told about the tiny sacrifices she did after her mother’s death in order to try fixing her father’s life.

"You did because of him?"

"Yes," she murmured. "You must think I'm an idiot."

"I don't," he said with a deep accent, shaking his head at her. "I know how it is to try helping someone who doesn't want your help."

“Do you?”

“Believe it or not, yes.”

Belle had no idea whom he meant with that, but by the way his amazingly brown eyes became suddenly sad and he faced away from her, fixing his gaze on the chairs in front of them, she could tell he had something painful hidden in his past and it wasn’t just the fact his mother died young, after losing the fight against cancer.

She licked her lips, trying to think about something else to say. It was night and she didn’t have much of a good view of the clouds outside her window, so Belle had only two options, pick up the book she had brought for the travel or keep talking with Rumford. And she was much more interested in the second one.

“So, how is it going to be when we arrive there?”

“First you’ll get the weekend to rest and install yourself in your new dorm room, then on Monday you’ll be introduced to our crew and start taking our classes,” Rumford explained. “And next weekend you’ll choreograph a dancing number for the experts to watch.”

“What?”

“Relax,” he chuckled. “I bet you have done it a thousand times before and you knew that a part of coming with me was dancing so…”

“Yeah, great,” Belle grumbled. “This is how you make me more nervous.”

“I’m sorry.”

A sigh left her as she shifted on her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, because there were hours of flight ahead and she didn’t want to have a back ache when she would need to spend the whole week creating and training an impressive choreography.

“Tell me something good about Scotland,” she asked Gold.

“It rains there.”

“Really?”

“Aye, most of the time,” he confirmed. “If you like rain, I guess you’ll like the country.”

“You’re making me want to beg for a British citizenship,” Belle said, sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him.

He seemed to give up being sceptical and ran a hand through his brown-greying hair, making her wonder if it would feel as soft to the touch as it seemed, and turned back to her with a much more serious face.

“Well, we also have beautiful historical places,” Rumford started. “My son is very fond of the castles and ruins.”

“You have a son?” She inquired, eyes widening in curiosity. “I didn’t know you’re married.”

What Belle didn’t really know was why she was so surprised. Rumford Gold was hardly a young man and he certainly called a lot of people’s attention, he was handsome and didn’t stick to small talk. Most women would see him as a good catch. However, he seemed a bit bitter for a second, before shaking his head at her.

“I’m not. I have been divorced for about five years now, but my boy Baden is eight and really adventurous. I like to take him on road trips whenever I can.”

“It must be fun,” Belle answered with a smile. “Does he live near you?”

“Actually, he lives with me.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry, I just thought he probably lived with his mother. It’s the usual.”

The side-smile that crossed his lips, could have taken anyone’s breath away. He touched her hand, the one she was keeping on the arm of the seats between them and Belle felt as if his touch was made of fire, because it certainly lit a flame in her that she didn’t quite know if it should have been lighted.

“No need to be sorry. My ex-wife was never a very dutiful mother and she didn’t care enough to keep Bae for herself,”

“It must be hard to raise him alone,” Belle breathed, hoping he wouldn’t pull his hand away so soon, however, he unfortunately did it.

“Sometimes it is,” Gold sighed. “But I think my love for him keeps me going, all I want is to give Baden a happy childhood.”

A grin stretched lazily on her lips as Belle leaned back against her chair, closing her eyes and enjoying the soft background noises of the airplane, people talking like them, children playing and the low sound of the turbines working to keep them in the air.

“That’s nice.”

“What?” Rumford asked.

“To know what a good father really is like.”

She peeked a look them and saw that he had a satisfied expression on his face as he picked up his phone and Belle knew in that moment that she couldn’t wait to get to know him better.


	3. Part 3

Talking with Gold during their flight had proven to be one of the nicest things Belle had done in a while. For someone who had spent five years taking care of a drunk father and his almost failed business, she didn’t have much time, money or energy to have fun herself.  Belle’s life was always about working fun in somehow, but during that flight, things suddenly changed and it felt good.

She tried not to think about the fact that she was sharing smiles and giggles with the owner of the company she was going to dance for, her patron, the man that was funding her in all ways possible. Belle should be thankful to him and only be respectable instead of thinking more and more about how handsome, smart and funny he was at each passing minute.

Dove’s presence had basically been forgotten. None of them gave him any attention, despite the moment Gold turned around to ask him if he had made sure that Belle’s dorm room was ready for when they arrived Glasgow. The travel was long, but Belle couldn’t sleep and, when she noticed that Rumford might want to do that, she asked for a movie recommendation and watched a lovely romance while he took a nap.

He wasn’t the snoring type, she noticed, which made her feel a bit ashamed of herself, because her mother had always complained around how noisy Belle was in her sleep. When Rum woke up they got engaged into a conversation about old Scottish stories and folklore, which gave her a new urge to get her hands on books about fairies and all those kind of things. She found herself wanting to meet Rumford’s son, Baden too. She loved that name and she loved the way Gold spoke about him, like he was the sun in his life.

Belle had never thought much about it before, but the fact that Rumford Gold seemed to be such an amazing father made her realise that for not having a good one while growing up, it would be really important for her to give her own children the best dad they could have. Well, that is if she one day ended up having any child at all. Belle shook her head, thinking that she was definitely allowing her thoughts to become too mad.

Making her way through the small corridor, she followed Gold and Dove to the waiting hall of the airport, holding her raggedy baggage in her hands as she observed the tons of different people passing hastily back to their busy lives, those quiet and almost unreal hours in the airplane, being immediately forgotten by them. She wondered if the same would happen to her, if after today she and Rum would never, ever have a nice talk again and he would start to be strictly professional with her. Belle hoped not, because if he did that, she would really feel heartbroken, although she would understand his point.

She was so distracted by her own thoughts that Belle didn’t notice that there were people waiting for them in the middle of that crowd, only when she heard the loud scream of a child and saw a boy throwing his arms around Rum’s neck she realised that for him, they were finally home. Belle smiled fondly at the scene in front of her, as father and son hugged each other and exchanged a few sweet words, both of them seeming to be utterly content.

“I’ve missed you, papa.” Baden Gold said, promptly, pulling away from him to smile widely.

He was a small, slim boy with ruffled brown hair and warm chocolate eyes, exactly the same ones his father had. Belle watched as Rumford touched his face with the softest grin on his lips and she tried to remember the last time her father had looked at her like that, like she was the most precious gift he could have received in his life, but she couldn’t. There was no memory of it. Maybe because Moe probably had never felt that way about her.

“I missed you too, my boy,” Rum guaranteed his son. “Do you want to meet our new ballerina?”

“Sure!”

Turning around, he touched Belle’s shoulder, making her step forward, partially leaning into some kind of embrace that made her cheeks burn with colour and not because it was an unusual thing, but because the warmth of his arm around her felt so good that she suddenly couldn’t breathe properly.

“Bae, this is Isabelle French from Storybrooke, Maine,” Gold introduced her to his son. “Belle, I would like you to meet my boy, Baden.”

Stretching out a hand for him, Belle greeted the little one with shining eyes.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Bae. Your father has talked a lot about you.”

It wasn’t a lie at all. Most of Gold’s stories involved his son, which made her think that he was quite a lonely man. He didn’t seem to have much friends, as he mentioned only one or two people with whom he used to do things around town, like going out to pubs and museums and he also hadn’t talked about any girlfriend.

“Papa says I’m his best buddy,” Baden answered, proudly.

“I bet you are.”

“Mr. Gold,” a chubby red-haired woman called from behind Bae. “Will you come straight home with us or will you take the lass to the dorms with Mr. Dove first?”

Belle looked up at him, feeling his hand fall from her shoulder as he stepped away, appearing to analyse the situation. Truth be told, Belle really wanted him to offer to take her to the dorms, because she was new in town and didn’t know anything or anyone and having him around would make her feel a bit more confident, however she was pretty sure that his family always came first to him, so she didn’t allow herself to get her hopes high.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you! Belle, this is Bae’s nanny, Helga Potts,” he said slowly, still taking his time to think.

“Nice to meet you,” Belle smiled.

“Indeed.”

Gold’s glance switched from her to his son and he sighed, finally giving up and turning back to look at Maxwell Dove.

“Max, can you show, Ms. French her dorm room and make sure that she settles in with no problem?”

“Of course, sir.”

For a moment, all Belle wanted to do was to release a loud whiny sound, like a spoiled child who wasn’t getting what she wanted. She understood perfectly Rum’s choice, of course, but yet, she was still feeling unsure and lonely, which meant that she still wanted his lovely company to distract her mind, but instead all she was getting was the quiet and solemn Mr. Dove.

“Take the weekend to explore, Ms. French,” Gold advised her. “I want to see you in my office at the company on Monday morning, then we can talk.”

“Alright,” she nodded. “Thank you for everything.”

He nodded back, kind of biting down on his lower lip, which sent a shiver through her body, a heavy warmth settling in her womb. Belle didn’t even want to think what this new-found desire for him could possibly do to her, but her mind would very much like to fantasize what Rumford Gold looked like behind his fancy clothes and breath-taking smirk.

“I’ll see you there, then.”

“Yeah.”

“Bye, Ms. Belle,” Baden waved at her happily.

“Goodbye.”

Tucking his son’s hand in his, Rumford and the nanny disappeared in the crowd, leaving Belle to follow Mr. Dove to his car and wonder about what roads her life could take from now on.

* * *

 

It rained the whole weekend. Not a storm, just a soft, shy and very irritating rain, but Gold had already alerted Belle about that, so it shouldn’t be a surprise for her. However, although she hadn’t gone out to explore, the brunette had time enough to tie up her room, read a book and start to prepare the choreography for her new dancing number.

Her only pair of pointe shoes were very raggedy because of years of use, so when Dove showed up on Sunday afternoon and took her to the building next to hers where a whole gym was set for the company members and gave her new ones, she was more than happy to accept. They had a little store in there too and he said she should pick all the items she needed, including skirt and leotard.

Everything was black and had the typical golden “FG” logo stamped in somewhere visible. It made things even more unreal to Belle. She had read about the Fiona Gold Company ever since she was a child and now she was a part of it, she wore its clothes and would dance with its famous crew. It was more than a dream come true, it was everything she had ever wanted and never thought she would ever get to achieve.

She still felt lonely and unsure though. Belle had called Ruby as soon as she settled inside her brand-new studio flat, and her best friend had assured her that her father was alright and had opened the flower shop as usual, with the help of Ashley, however on the three times she called him, Moe didn’t pick up the phone.

Nevertheless, by Monday, Belle had managed to convince herself that she deserved this chance of happiness and should focus on her dance for now, so she took a bus and found herself in the company for the first time in her life. It was huge, bigger than she thought that it would be and there were lots of people circulating, going to their classes or preparing themselves for a round of training, which made her smile as she searched for Mr. Gold’s office.

After entering the wrong room, twice, she finally got to ask someone for directions and ended-up faced with a dark wooden door, knocking shyly and waiting nervously until he opened it up, appearing behind it with a handsome smile, his hair framing his face with perfection.

“Miss French, it is very nice to see you,” he greeted her. “Please, come in.”

Slipping inside the office, Belle took a seat on the chair in front of his desk, waiting as he opened up some drawers and picked all sorts of books and papers, forming a pile and bringing it with him as he walked towards her. Rumford placed that stuff in front of her, remaining on his feet instead of sitting down so they could have a proper talk.

“These are your books,” Gold started. “They have everything you’ll need for your classes, which you’ll be taking every morning for the next year and a half. In the afternoons, you’ll train with the crew and learn our ways of dancing.”

“Right,” she nodded.

“You’ll receive a card after your performance and you’ll have a great quantity of money to cover your monthly expenses,” he continued. “But you must understand that nothing here is for free. To keep on this company, you must be exceptional. Good grades and remarkable dancing. Anything other than that is unacceptable.”

Swallowing hard, Belle waved her head positively again. She knew it was going to be difficult and that being in this company meant that she would need to work hard every single day for her place in here. Maybe the fact that Rum had been so lovable and kind with her had made her think briefly that things would be easier, but now that they were here, she could finally see things clearly.

“I will do my best,” Belle vowed. “I promise.”

Gold smiled, stretching out a hand for her.

“May I take you on a tour around the company, then?”

Nodding, she accepted his help to stand up on her feet again, picking up the books, folders and files up on her arms and sighing at the weight of the pile as she followed him out of the office. Belle was starting to regret her outfit and shoes choice, as Rumford pointed each room of the company to her, talking about the main activities that happened during the weekend. She was wearing a pair of black high heels, a matching skirt, a white blouse and an enormous plaid coat over it. Obviously, she wanted to look good for her first day, but carrying that pile of books and feeling the cold wind that came from the open corridors hit her stockinged legs, she thought she’d rather have been wearing something more comfortable.

“These next five rooms are for dancing rehersals,” Gold explained, gesticulating towards a long hallway. “You can use them at any time if they are not already occupied. But now, let me show you our theatre and backstage.”

All she could do was to produce a low, tired sound and allow him to lead the way as she hugged the books closer, wishing she had brought a huge backpack to put them in.

“Here, Ms. French, you’ll make your dance performance this Saturday night,” Rumford said, opening up the door that lead to an enormous theatre, one of the kind that would leave Storybrooke College members completely jealous. It was beautiful and the golden curtains that fell from the ceiling gave it a fancy, sophisticated style. “What do you think?”

“It’s…” Belle started but needed to catch a breath to continue. “It’s amazing.”

Gold narrowed his eyebrows at her, noticing for the first time that she seemed tired and shook his head for himself, taking the huge pile of books from her, which caused a deep sigh of relief to leave her.

“Allow me to help you, dearest.”

“Why, thank you.”

“Let’s got to the backstage,” Rumford answered.

Belle was too marvelled to answer. She had danced to some big crowds before, but none of them seemed to be big enough to fill this theatre and it caused her breath to get caught on her throat and some tears to blur her eyes. Somehow, she had made it and her mother would be very proud if she was alive.

Passing through the golden curtains and following their way down a small corridor, they entered the most well-equipped backstage possible. Gold dropped the books on a table and allowed Belle to take a look around, dusting her fingers over colourful acrylic chairs and dressing tables.

“Everything here is just… Incredible,” she murmured.

“I’m glad you appreciate the company. It was the work of my mother’s life.”

She was about to say something about how much she had always admired Fiona Gold when her phone started to buzz loudly and made her look down, drowning her hands inside her pockets in an attempt to find it.

“Excuse me,” Belle said to Gold as she walked away and picked it up.

For a second, there was only silence in the other end of the line, which almost convinced her to hang up, but then, there was the sound of a sharp breath and an old-known voice came through the phone.

“Isabelle… Hi.”

“Papa?” She inquired in disbelief.

“When are you coming home?”

Snorting, she took a look around the corridor, seeing the shadow of the golden curtains ahead. Belle couldn’t listen to her father now, she couldn’t let him convince her to come home, or she will be fated to stay in Storybrooke, having a miserable life forever.

“Oh, papa, we’ve talked about this. I’m in Scotland and I won’t be back for a long time.”

“Yeah, you left me alone. Every good person leaves…” Moe mumbled in a scuffed voice that told her just how drunk he was right now. “I guess the bottles are the only company I can trust.”

“Papa,” Belle begged, “please stop drinking.”

“Bye, bye, darling.”

“Papa,” she called again, but he was no longer on the phone.

Tears fell down her eyes. Her heart was being crushed by the situation. Belle didn’t want to be selfish, but she had cared for her father for long enough and if she didn’t start to think about herself now, then she would lose her way too. She heard steps echoing behind her and wiped her eyes before turning around to see Gold walking towards her.

“Belle, are you are alright?”

 _Belle_. Not Ms. French. That would be enough to put a smile on her face, however Belle was still very shaken from her talk with her father and she still felt a bit guilty for being happy whilst he was miserable.

“It’s just… My father, he called me and he is drunk again,” the brunette shrugged, clasping her hands in front of herself. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do Rum… I mean, Mr. Gold. I feel bad being here, living out my dream and leaving him to his own fate.”

“You don’t have to feel guilty, you have taken care of him for as long as you could now it’s time to think about yourself. If your father really wanted to be helped he would have already accepted that he has an issue with alcohol and started to at least try to stop drinking,” Gold said, sincerely, putting on a little grin for her. “And it’s alright for you to keep calling me Rum, just not in front of the other students.”

“Thank you, Rum,” Belle sniffled.

That was when the most unexpected thing ever happened. He touched her face with the tips of his fingers and, her, lost and broken, in need of some comfort, sobbed, lips trembling. An expression of compassion crossed is face and, probably without thinking, Rumford pulled her into a hug.

Belle couldn’t say anything as she breathed in and out slowly, nuzzling her face against the soft wool of his suit, hearing his heart beating and feeling the warmth of his chest bring a new calm sensation that she didn’t know that she needed to feel.

“I know what you’re going through,” Rum said against her hair. “My father was an alcoholic too. I didn’t meet him until I was twenty-one and my mother was long gone, she had always said that her relationship with him was a mistake and that he left her when she told him that she was pregnant because he didn’t want any responsibilities, but I wanted to see him for myself, so I searched for him.”

“And what happened?” Belle questioned, looking up at him, but not untightening her hold around his back.

“He was a bigger idiot than I thought,” he sighed. “I tried to help him for a long time, Belle, but I was just losing my time. In the end he had already made his own choice and I couldn’t do anything for him.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It sucks. It all sucks.”

He nodded and when he looked down at her, his angular nose brushed her forehead and so did his lips. It wasn’t a kiss at all, it was an accident, but it brought a blush to Belle’s cheeks anyway.

“Aye,” Rumford agreed. “But I got over it and that’s how I know that you can get over it and move on with your life too. You have a brilliant future ahead, Belle, you just need to allow yourself to live it.”

“I will,” she said. “It might take me some time to stop worrying so much about my father, but eventually, I will make it work. Thanks for the advice.”

“Any time.”

Gold was smirking again and there were lots of things Belle wanted to ask him, but she couldn’t, because suddenly their faces were too close and she could feel his breathe. If she moved her head just a bit forward she would touch his lips and she wanted it so much that a surge of heat pooled on her belly, a contained desire that needed to be sated.

It felt so good to be in his arms and he was opening his lips a bit that Belle stopped caring if it was wrong or not. She wanted it, she wanted him and she was about to made the last move when Gold pulled away, leaving her to feel the cold again.

“Uh, I… I must go back to my office,” Rumford excused himself. “I hope you have a great first week, Ms. French.”

Then, he was turning around on the balls of his feet and she was all alone in there to face the fact that she wanted someone that she couldn’t have by any means.


	4. Part 4

Despite what Belle hoped, she didn’t see Gold as much as she thought she would during that week, but whenever they crossed paths, the two of them exchanged smiles that made her want to go back to that Monday morning and say something that could have made him stay long enough for her to prove his lips. She knew it was just a silly daydream, but Belle couldn’t help herself in that matter.

But Rumford wasn’t the only thing on her mind these days and how could he possibly when there was so much happening at the same time. She had started going to her classes and felt good to be studying once more, knowing that soon she would finally have a degree and Belle also started to do daily rehersals with the company’s crew and met lots of new, lovely people. Belle was in part surprised to find how little Scottish people were a part of it, but she heard from Mary Margaret, a sweet girl from America, just like her, that Mr. Gold travelled around the world trying to find the best ballerinas to integrate the company.

It made her question how worthy of this place she really was, however Belle tried to focus on her performance and not let bad thoughts cloud her happiness. She was working hard on it and Mary Margaret helped her a few times, giving Belle some tips, she used for her own first performance.

But in the end, when it came to ballet, it was all the same thing you learned when you were ten and trying to remember all the right positions. It all came to grace and balance. Her main exercises before rehersals would always be a soft train for the arms and, of course, some up and down sections with her pointe shoes.

By Friday, however, Belle found herself to be a bit unsure about her choreography. She had spent a full week dancing with the crew, hearing David Nolan’s instructions of how they should act and the movements they should avoid and it meant that most of what she learned in the past should be improved, but she didn’t have time to rethink everything.

Belle tried changing a twirl into an arabesque, held her chin higher and moved her wrist more gracefully when gesticulating with her arms. It wasn’t exactly what the company would expect from her, but it was something and it made her proud of herself.

She took the Saturday off and allowed Mary Margaret to take her to a nice pub and they had some fun, watching the band that was playing live, eating and drinking. Belle was glad to have new friends and she was also glad to have Ruby back in Storybrooke to text her daily and say how her father was. Apparently, Moe still drank a lot, but at least was trying to keep on with his business at the flower shop and that was a relief. Belle was already too nervous with her performance to worry about him too.

Mary Margaret said, they weren’t allowed to reveal to new members and the fact that it all seemed to be so secretive only made her more apprehensive for the whole thing, but then, there she was on the backstage, all dressed in black, with the company’s logo seeming to shine in gold where it was stamped on her ballet clothes. Belle breathed in and out, waiting for the song she chose to start, announcing it was time for her to come out and start the performance.

Her palms were sweaty and she kept moving her feet to make sure that her shoes were just on point to every needed movement, because everybody knew that brand-new pointe shoes were the ballerinas’ worst enemy. She had made the needed changes and cuts on it, of course, but still, Belle had fallen because of enough new pairs to know how dangerous it was.

The song started playing and she whispered one last couple of encouraging words for herself before going on the tips of her toes and entering the stage with a well-practiced sequence of swirls. She did not look down at the audience. Belle didn’t want to see their faces, didn’t want to lose her concentration not even for a second, so she kept on with the choreography, sliding down the floor and then pushing herself up in an arabesque that ended on a perfect plié and was followed by a twirl.

Belle danced with her soul and when the song finally ended and she finished the performance, breathless and tired, she was surprised to find out that the only person watching her was Rumford Gold. Her shock couldn’t be hidden, as her mouth fell open and her eyes got wide, staring at him as Rum pulled himself up to his feet and started to clap.

“Very well done, Ms. French,” he said. “I must say I wasn’t mistaken when I chose you. Now I can confirm that you are indeed a very talented ballerina. Spent a whole week in the company and still dance with your heart first. Our techniques haven’t changed you to the point you became a copying robot.”

“I…” Belle tried to start. “I didn’t know you would be the one watching me, you said specialists would come.”

“I _am_ a specialist, dearie. After all, my mother was one of the most famous ballerinas people ever heard about. I like to make sure I made the right choice and that’s why I always ask for a second performance from all of this company’s members.”

She kept staring at him, searching for any changes in his face, but he was still smirking very proudly at her. Damn him looking so good in his perfectly tailored suit that made her knees weak. Belle was happy that he had liked her dance and that it was him watching her and not anyone else, but still she was surprised and feeling like if she knew it would be Gold there, she would have done better.

“Oh, well, thank you then.”

Things were still awkward between the two of them because of that almost kiss and that hug. Belle really wished to know what that meant and if he felt the same way for her as she did for him, because she had no idea of what to say right now and she knew that it was only due to that last weird encounter.

“Are you alright, Belle?” Rum asked, tilting his head to get a better look of her from where he was.

“My feet are sore,” she lied. “I need to get these shoes off, if you excuse me.”

Belle wasn’t sure why she did that, but she rushed to the backstage and fell onto a chair, closing her eyes tight as she fought with the laces of her shoes. She felt somewhat ashamed for the way she had acted before, because she knew no decent woman would be thinking about her patron the way she was.

The brunette let the shoes fall to the floor and stood up, unlacing her skirt and taking it off, already thinking about getting her normal clothing on and going straight back to her dorm. She reached up a hand for her hair pins and let it fall from the tight bun it had been into a cascade of curls. Belle heard a noise and turned around, squealing when she saw that Rumford was standing by the door, seeing her in only a pair of tights and her leotard.

“Oh my God,” she screamed. “What are you doing here?”

Gold swallowed hard.

“I… I was worried about you,” he mumbled. “You seemed a bit scared.”

“I’m not. I was just… I don’t know, alright? I have no idea.”

She was frustrated with herself, because she couldn’t put her feelings into words and the fact that she was also very exposed didn’t help Belle with anything. Gold appeared to get it, because he smiled fondly at her and took some steps forward. He touched her flushed cheek with one hand and rubbed his thumb over it.

“Do I make you nervous, Belle?”

No answer came to her. She was still speechless. He did more than make her nervous, but Belle didn’t want to admit that, so she only looked down at the floor, avoiding his eyes.

“You are an amazing ballerina, Belle,” Gold continued. “I enjoyed watching you very much but not more than I do talking to you, so why does it seem that the cat ate your tongue?”

He was being petulant, now she realised. Rumford knew how she felt about him, but apparently, he wanted to hear it from her mouth and she would have said, if it wasn’t for the fact that he had been the one to pull away that day. Maybe he was just unsure, but she couldn’t risk. Not when her future in the company could depend on her acts today.

“I’m confused, alright?” Belle answered. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

“Oh, at this point I also have no idea.”

All Belle knew was that in the next second his lips were on hers and they were kissing in a way that took her breath away. She held onto his shoulders and felt Gold’s free hand come to the small of her back as he pulled her closer, for a moment, she felt like a scared animal in his arms, but then, she melted. Belle had wanted it ever since she first saw him and now that Rum was kissing her, all she could think was that it felt better than she could have imagined that it would.

His lips were soft and wet and he traced hers with his skilled tongue, which made a tiny moan escape her. Belle reached up to run her hands along his hair and he cupped her cheeks as their tongues danced together in a slow rhythm. He had drunk wine, she could say, but not much, the taste was there but not too strong.

“Rum…” she murmured against his mouth. “I think I’m falling for you.”

Those words were way too reckless for Belle and she had no idea why she said that out loud, but when she saw the little smirk that appeared in Rumford’s lips it seemed worth it. He brushed a curl away from her face and kissed the tip of her nose gently.

“That’s good; it means I’m not the only one then. I was afraid I was feeling something that might not be mutual.”

A chuckle came up her throat as Gold started to drag her to the dressing table behind them. They shared another kiss, Belle’s hands gripping at the fabric of Rumford’s suit jacket as his travelled up and down her body, until they got to her bottom and pulled her up to sit on the table. Her mind was completely lost the moment she wrapped her legs around his waist and felt the bulge in his trousers rub against her centre.

She moaned against his mouth, pushing his jacket down his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. He moved his mouth to her neck and Belle started to undo his tie, eyes falling close as raggedy breaths came from her while he nibbled at her throat, making Belle tremble with desire. She was still tired from her performance and her legs were a bit sore, but nothing could stop her now.

Gold smelled wonderful, his perfume was probably really expensive, but it was amazing and she nuzzled her nose on his neck to feel it better and drop an open-mouthed kiss there. He groaned and started to pull the straps of her leotard down her shoulders, exposing her skin so he could start to kiss the naked skin there until he found her breasts.

Her breath got caught in her throat. Belle’s right nipple disappeared into Rum’s mouth and she cried out as he sucked hard, laving it with his tongue as he worked her other breast with his hand, plucking at her nipple. Head falling back, Belle tug at his hair and he started to give some attention to her left breast as he pulled her leotard down.

Through the fabric of his trousers, she could feel Rumford Gold getting hard for her. She pulled away from him a bit, sliding the leotard down her body alongside her black tights and throwing it away before reaching for his shirt buttons. Rum seemed to be spell-bound by her, he couldn’t stop touching Belle, looking at her almost naked body with wonder, breathing hard and caressing her skin as she undressed him.

Belle hadn’t realised before, but the song she had danced to was still playing on repeat, echoing through the corridors and reaching them. A beautiful love song that gave a special touch to the moment they were sharing. His shirt fell to the floor and she unfastened his fly. Gold’s hand palmed her neck and he made her look up at him, taking Belle’s concentration away from her task when he slid his fingers inside her panties, finding her wet heat and starting to rub.

“Rum,” she whispered in delight. “I want you.”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he answered, finding her clit and pinching it, making her writhe in his arms. “You’ll have all of me.”

He moved to remove her panties and pulled her close to his chest as he pushed a finger inside her tight channel, making Belle sigh with pleasure as he kissed her lips once more.

“Another one?” Gold inquired.

“Yes.”

She was breathless and when his second finger entered her, Belle couldn’t help herself anymore; she moved her hips forward, rocking against his hand as she moaned. He brushed the hard bulge in his trousers on her tights and groaned again, making her shiver and scratch her teeth on his neck.

“I want you to come, love. Can you do it for me?” Rumford inquired his voice husky with desire.

Her breath was raggedy and she held tight on his shoulders, his thumb reached for her clit, circling the little pearl and sending fire throughout her body, making her ache and clench. Gold traced it slowly, up and down, hitting one point that made her see stars. She sobbed in despair, the feeling too much to be taken until he touched that point one last time and she reached her peek with a loud sound of pure bliss.

Belle was panting, thinking that none of her past sexual experiences had been as incredibly good as this. Rumford Gold had made her feel better with just his fingers than her two stupid ex-boyfriends were ever capable of doing when trying their best. She felt him caressing her hair and looked up to see Gold sucking his fingers clean of her juices.

“Delicious,” he said. “Better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”

It made her tremble again as she pulled his pants down, along his boxers, allowing his cock to spring free, hard and hot. She touched the long shaft, running her palm along it and then closing her fingers around, getting a moan from Rum.

“I need to be inside you,” Gold mumbled. “It has been sometime and I’m afraid foreplay will make me look like a bloody teenager.”

“Mm, I’ll be happy to have you buried inside me as soon as possible,” Belle responded, kissing his jaw. “Condom?”

She pumped him again and he thrusted his hips forward.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I don’t have any,” Rumford said with a little smirk. “You know, I don’t usually plan on fucking the company members at the backstage.”

There was a laugh, and then she realized that in fact there were two. Both of them were laughing and suddenly, both of them were kissing again and she felt every bit of his bare skin touch her body, pressing, caressing, and increasing the desire that burned deep inside of her.

“I’m on the pill and I’m clean, is that enough for you?” Belle asked him.

“Aye,” Gold agreed. “I’m clean too. Flat surface?”

“I’ll be good on the floor, if you are too.”

He nodded, touching her plump pink lower lip. Belle was pretty aware that she looked a wild mess now, hair tangled and hickeys starting to become clear on her neck. This wasn’t how she had planned on ending her night, but it was certainly way more perfect than anything she could have imagined.

Rum took her hands and helped her to slide down from the table. He kicked away his shoes and socks, freeing himself from his pants and boxers, that were still pooled around his ankles, then. She watched him the whole time, still not believing they were really doing this, but not wanting to give herself the chance of thinking too much and realising that none of this was true. When he reached for her again and helped Belle to lay on the fluffy white rug, she touched his face and breathed in his scent, pressing a kiss to his chin as she felt the head of his cock brushing against her folds, making her lift her hips in anticipation.

“You’re so beautiful, Belle…” Gold murmured, stroking her hair. “I thought you were gorgeous from first sight, but you got into my soul on that airplane and I just want to make you happy. I want to make you forget about every bad thing in your past.”

“You are already making me forget,” she assured. “Now make me yours.”

Hesitation wasn’t something Belle was expecting now, but he didn’t keep on with that as she thought he would do – as any men she knew would do – instead, Gold touched their foreheads together and kept staring at her, disbelief still shining in his dark brown eyes.

“Are you sure that this is what you really want?” Rum inquired. “You deserve more than a quick shag backstage.”

“It is not a quick shag,” Belle said with a shake of her head. “We are making love and when we get out of here, we can go somewhere better for you and me.”

Reaching between then, Rumford grasped his hard length, opening her with the head of his cock, coating it with her juices and leading himself to her entrance. Belle closed her eyes, feeling as he pushed forward, thrusting inside until he was completely buried within her and both of them were panting for breath. It felt good and right, her inner walls holding him tight while she ran her hands along his back, it was somewhat perfect.

“Oh, fuck,” Gold cursed. “You’re so warm and tight, sweetheart.”

“You feel amazing too,” she complimented.

There was a lot more that Belle wanted to say, however, she couldn’t put the words into intelligent sentences now. She needed to move, to feel more, to love and be loved, so she shifted her hips up, urging Rumford to start thrusting and when he did, she couldn’t contain the moan that came through her lips.

It was a mix of frenzy need with the certainty that this was new, different and full of a blooming love that couldn’t quite be contained. The friction created between their bodies made them sensitive and aching, clutching at each other, Belle’s nails scratching his back lightly as she panted and wrapped her legs around his waist, seeking a deeper angle.

“Fuck, Belle,” Gold groaned. “I want you to come for me.”

Her answer was another moan. She could feel that Rumford was getting tense as his pace was becoming erratic, he was close and so was she. Every single nerve of her body seemed to be burning, her walls were squeezing him more each second, every new thrust bringing a new kind of desperation to fill her.

“Please,” Belle whimpered. “Rum…”

Sneaking his hand between their joined bodies, Rumford found her clit again and Belle knew that she was lost. Her body started to shake and she held onto him, digging her nails harder on his back as her pumped into her, rubbing her sensitive nub until the pad of his finger touched on tiny little place that sent her over the edge and Belle cried out in ecstasy.

Gold kept thrusting, working her through her climax until she heard him groan, and nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck and biting down at her as he spilled his seed inside her, filling her with warmth.

They kept holding each other for a while more, both trying to catch their breath again, coming back from their blissful state. Hours could have passed, when Belle noticed the music starting to repeat again and Rum rolled off her, laying on his back right by her side and pulling her close, allowing Belle to lay her head on his chest.

“This was… Amazing and unexpected,” he said.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “But I need to confess that I was daydreaming about you ever since we left that plane too.”

He touched her cheek affectionately his brown eyes shining with something she didn’t quite understand, but that she really wanted to.

“I haven’t been with a woman ever since my ex-wife asked for the divorce,” Gold told her. “I think maybe I was afraid of the story repeating itself, but when I see you I forget all of that. I know we shouldn’t be doing this Belle and that the whole company will be scandalised if they find out, but I want to try and be with you. I mean, if that’s what you want as well.”

“It is,” Belle confirmed. “Rum, are we going to keep this a secret?”

Without her even noticing how, her fingers had interlaced with his and they were tracing each other’s skin with a sluggish care. Belle’s body was exhausted by now, but the amazing tingling between her legs made the soreness completely worth it.

“From the company only, if you don’t mind, but just for a while, I promise,” he said. “I would like us to be open for Bae, of course. He will love having you around and the two of us can take you to the most beautiful places in Scotland.”

“That sounds perfect,” she answered with a lazy smile. “But Rum, are you sure you want to engage in a relationship with me? I don’t have anything to offer you; I left a drunken father behind and dropped out of college… I’m no one and you are important, you have a name and a legacy. I don’t know if I’m the right person for you.”

Pulling himself up on his elbow, Rumford stared down at her gorgeous blue eyes, filled with unshed tears and stole a kiss from her rosy lips. Belle blinked, allowing some drops to run down her face freely.

“Sweetheart, what you have to offer me is you, this beautiful, pure soul you have and that has been lightening my world ever since you first danced for me in that audition. I know the struggles you’re going through and I want to face them by your side.”

It was cheesy and sounded impossibly unreal, but this connection they had, couldn’t be a lie. Belle felt it deep in her heart, this wasn’t a simple one-night-stand for her, it was something that meant a lot more. She thought about Storybrooke and about the years she had spent stagnated. It was her time to live and love and she was going to enjoy every bit of it.

“How long can we say here?” Belle inquired.

“The whole night if that’s what you want.”

“And after that,” she continued. “How long do you think this will last?”

“Well, my love, if that’s on me, I’d say forever.”

She smiled and cupped his cheek, feeling the fuzzy rug caress her back as she moved to capture Gold’s lips in a soft, but, passionate kiss. Love was like dancing, she realised. It needed grace and balance, it could begin all of the sudden with the most stunning sequences or slowly, as if taking baby steps, but if you treated it right and knew when to add the best pace, it could give the best results.

“Forever sounds pretty good to me,” Isabelle French mumbled against Rumford Gold’s lips.

He sighed happily and rolled over her once more, their bodies becoming enlaced into one. His nose traced her jawline and she sighed, that great happiness she hadn’t known for long, finally installing itself permanently in her heart as she heard the tunes of her mother’s favourite song echoing through the walls backstage, a beautiful promise that things would be better from now on. She had given herself the right change and had found what she needed in the most unexpected place, but Belle guessed that was how every good story started.

_Once upon a time, lost she was._

_But in the pointe of her shoes, she danced to the stars._

_In the dark of the night, she met the light._

_That would fill the empty spaces and brighten the right places._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Share your thoughts about this fic with me if you want to, I would be really happy to know if you enjoyed.


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